


The Life and Death of Nerida by Bilbo Baggins

by Lil_Gamer



Series: The Tale of Nerida [4]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Sad, sorry I actually let a lone tear slip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-07-10 07:10:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6972322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_Gamer/pseuds/Lil_Gamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo Baggins’ first thought of Nerida Durin is: Why? Why would this girl willingly go on a dangerous quest that could wind up in her death? Actually his first thought is ‘Why in Middle Earth are these dwarves and girl on my doorstep?’<br/>To be fair she treats him kindly from the first minute of their friendship and defends him whenever she hears a dwarf making fun of him. So sure, he definitely likes Nerida Coraline Durin from maybe minute one – of the quest itself since the evening before he just wanted the Company gone and peace and quiet. </p><p>Bilbo finds himself remembering the times he knew of Nerida and of her end, many years later.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Life and Death of Nerida by Bilbo Baggins

Bilbo Baggins’ first thought of Nerida Durin is: _Why?_ Why would this girl willingly go on a dangerous quest that could wind up in her death? Actually his first thought is _‘Why in Middle Earth are these dwarves and girl on my doorstep?_ ’

To be fair she treats him kindly from the first minute of their friendship and defends him whenever she hears a dwarf making fun of him. So sure, he definitely likes Nerida Coraline Durin from maybe minute one – of the quest itself since the evening before he just wanted the Company **_gone_** and **_peace_** and **_quiet_**.

He will later recall a conversation one night before Rivendell when he brought up that exact question to the young warrior and it is her answer that leaves such an impact on the Hobbit for years to come.

_“Nerida, may I ask you a question?” He inquired. They are setting up camp and the youngest member of the Company is setting up her bedroll. Bilbo notices that Thorin only seems to give her small tasks that would not require her straying too far from camp; he makes a mental note to ask her when this ends._

_“You already asked me one, but ask away Master Baggins,” Nerida answers. Bilbo restrains himself from not rolling his eyes because she is so much like Thorin it hurts._

_“I want to know why you volunteered to come along on this quest. Balin told me you **fought** to come with us,” after he asks that, he notices she pauses for a few seconds._

_“Well…I grew up with Thorin telling me stories of what Erebor was like and how it fell due to Smaug. I knew he dreamed of the day that he could reclaim Erebor and raise me there but that never happened. But now thinking about it, I just wish to help these dwarves I have thought as family get their home returned to them since they gave me mine,” Nerida explains, almost as if that is a normal thing for fourteen year olds to come up with._

Another thing Bilbo Baggins just can’t get over is how skilled Nerida is with fighting skills. He remembers being chased by wargs and witnessing Nerida kill a warg 200 feet away with a throwing knife. Bilbo also remembers seeing Nerida kill three Orcs with one arrow and being totally in awe whenever she fights either with swords or hand-to-hand.

Even though Nerida had proven her skill in fighting and archery to him long ago, he still felt terrified whenever she would just rush into a battle. One particular time was after the incident on the cliff when she helped him defend Thorin – Oin had asked him to go tend to Nerida’s wounds and he was forced to recount the awful experience.

_Bilbo grunted as he was thrown away from Thorin, looking helplessly as the Orcs slowly approached the unconscious King Under the Mountain. Then his helplessness turned to horror as Nerida, who ran at the Orc much like Bilbo had, let out a yelp as a knife seemed to slash her side._

_He tried to stumble to his feet as Nerida was struck again and again before finally the eagles came and killed most of the wargs – taking the unconscious Thorin and the barely holding on Nerida. Bilbo was interrupted out of his thoughts by falling off the cliff for five seconds before an eagle caught him on his back._

_Later, when he goes to tend to her wounds he finds himself getting choked up as the wounds are revealed._

_“Nerida, I can’t… How are you so willing to die for this cause?” He blurts out, the girl looked a bit surprised before she coughed out her surprising answer._

_“Well… if Thorin were to die, a King would be lost but if I die, Erebor simply loses a warrior,” she answers in almost an adult way that makes Bilbo’s hands shake and heart break. On the inside, he is screaming and shouting at her that she is important and that everyone would care if she were to die but on the outside he just hums and takes care of her._

_Bilbo just hopes she is being the small martyr Ori tells him Thorin raised her to be._

Another thing he finds himself finding a whole new respect for the girl when he learns of her upbringing into this world as they prepare to continue their journey. He finds himself sitting with Fili and Kili, who are jokingly teasing Nerida about being a ‘young little warrior’ all in high-pitched voices and includes the pinching of cheeks.

_“What do you mean her parents just left her for dead in the woods when she was a baby?!” He asks, his voice going high pitched._

_“They put her in bundles of fur, took her to the forest and left her with a note. They also dug a grave in case she had died,” Fili explains with a somber face. Bilbo sputters incoherently as they watch the girl sit with Ori, talking with the second youngest on the quest._

_“How could someone do that to their child?” Bilbo whispers._

_“They didn’t want a ‘sickly daughter’,” Kili spat, in what can only be described as a protective tone. Bilbo doesn’t say anymore, he feels as if he opens his mouth just words of anger will come out of it._

Bilbo also remembers the elf boy who seemed to take a liking to Nerida – Beriaden, he believes his name is. He remembers how tense it was – with Kili forming something with the elf guard and Nerida with Beriaden. While on the barge to Laketown, he remembers the discussion he holds with the girl as they sat apart from the rest of the group.

_“So, what is this I hear about an elf boy?” He asks, half-teasingly. Nerida’s face seems to brighten at the pure mention of Beriaden._

_“Not much. Thorin threw a rock at him while he was outside my cell, not to mention that one elf… Legolas was giving Kili dirty looks. I don’t like that guard,” she frowns. For one second, Bilbo doesn’t see a fourteen year old warrior who volunteered to go on a deadly mission – but a small child who holds her loyalty to her older cousin._

_“You know how Thorin can be,” He chuckles, looking back at the dwarf King who seemed to be looking at them curiously._

_“Yes, but if I were to build a relationship with Beriaden… that would mean tearing down the one I have with Thorin and possibly the rest of the Company. I cannot risk that,” she mutters softly._

_Bilbo sighs, of course she would put Thorin and the others feelings before her own – **a lot like Thorin** , he thinks. Slowly, he pats her twice on the head before he scoots off the front of the barge to the others._

Then there is their trip through Lake Town, where Nerida forms a friendship with Bain and Tilda; Bard’s two older children. At the end of their visit, Nerida chose to stay behind with Fili and Kili – Oin and Bofur along with them.

_Bilbo sits in the boat in the early morning light of Lake Town and watches as Thorin holds Kili, who is still suffering from being shot in the leg with an arrow, back and apparently forbids him from going further in the journey. Oin is listed to try and heal the younger of the two brothers, sitting the dark-haired prince down._

_Fili is the next to decide not to go – with the phrase: “I belong with my brother,” and storming back over to the other two dwarves. Thorin turns to Nerida – who sports bruises, scratches and cuts along with a few sniffles with a very kingly look._

_“Get in the boat, narrvel,” he whispers so quietly Bilbo almost can’t hear it. Nerida looks from the three dwarves to her right and then to the boat full of the others to her left. Bilbo gives her a look that begs her to come with them, that Kili will be just fine and to stay with Thorin._

_Nerida swallows and shakes her head, silently the first time – but when Thorin tries to force her into the boat, she doesn’t it again with something that Bilbo can’t understand. Once more, Thorin loudly tells her to get into the boat but Nerida is halfway to Fili and Kili._

_“I shall stay here with them,” Nerida proclaims in equal volume before setting herself down on a box. Thorin glares at nothing before getting into the boat himself – then they are off, and Bilbo watches the three young warriors (and Bofur who seemingly overslept) until he cannot see them anymore._

When Smaug unleashes death and fire upon Lake Town, Bilbo fears the worst for the five they left behind – especially Nerida, who over the course of this adventure he had realized she is afraid of fire. He cannot imagine what anxiety she is experiencing as the wooden town burns around her.

Finally the time comes when he hears the five of the ones left behind – thank Eru that Kili has recovered and that Nerida is seemingly no more injured than when they left.

_“Wait! Wait,” Bilbo hisses as he exits the doorway in a pure panic and hopes that one of them can help. Nerida’s eyes seem to lighten when she sees him – Bilbo later realizes she probably feared for the Company as much as they feared for the five left behind._

_“It’ s Bilbo!”_

_“He’s alive!”_

_”_ _Stop! Stop! Stop. You need to leave. We all need to leave,” Bilbo ignores the two comments and hurriedly tries to get his words out._

_“_ _Thorin! Thorin. Thorin. He's been down there for days. He doesn't sleep. He barely eats. He's not been himself. Not at all. It's this place. Ahem. I think a sickness lies on it,” he explains. Fili furrows his eyebrows and tries to inquiry what Bilbo means when Nerida, almost in a trance walks away from the group._

_“Nerida! Nerida, no, Nerida come back,” he tries to catch up with the girl but it is no use – she has longer legs and even though seemingly emotionless, she is moving very quickly and almost expertly through the stairs of Erebor. How can she know a kingdom that she had never been in so well?_

_Nerida later tells him she only remembers Thorin’s greeting but none of her journey down to him._

The time passes quickly from that moment on – Thranduil shows up in front of the mountain with an army, Bilbo steals the Arkenstone to hand over to Bard and the elven king before he is standing on the ramparts and everything goes downhill.

He will never forget the expressions of the other members of the Company as he admits to what he had done but Nerida looks like a mixture of betrayed and relieved but he has not that much time before Thorin is threatening to throw him over the ramparts. When he is brought back over and sent down the rope in an escape, he does not see the blonde headed girl anywhere.

Then, they find themselves in what would soon be called: The Battle of the Five Armies. He remembers every bad moment from that for as long as he will live. Fili being impaled through the chest before being thrown from that tower, being told of Kili’s demise defending that elven guard – Tauriel and then Thorin’s demise after his victory over Azog.

Of course, he just has to remember Nerida’s final moments the most horrifically.

_It was over – Fili, Kili and Thorin now lay dead and Nerida nowhere to be seen, in a desperate attempt to find the young girl Bilbo, Ori and Bofur set out across the many dead, injured and exhausted. Bilbo is in Dale when Beriaden pulls him aside, tears down his face._

_“Nerida; she is mortally injured,” the elf answers when Bilbo asks him what is the matter. Without even thinking, Bilbo opens his mouth._

_“Take me to her,” he decides soon after that, since she had little chance of survival he did not want her to die surrounded by strangers._

_He finds her in a scene that is both awful and amazing at the same time. Nerida is lain against an ashen wall of a brick building surrounded by seven Orcs who all sport injuries only the young girl could have caused. Citizens of Lake Town tell him of her many acts of bravery and how she saved them all. Bilbo sits next to her and cradles her in his lap – when he sees her injuries; two blades are lodged in her chest, her stomach had a large hole in it and her left leg is missing._

_“Bilbo… Bilbo Baggins… please tell the Company I wish them well and that I tried my best,” she says, staring past him – her eyes are losing their young life they once held._

_“I will Nerida and believe me, you have done well,” he coughs out, tears rolling down his face once more._

_“And… and please tell T’orin, Fi and Ki that I am sorry that I never listened to them. For all those times when I was young. Also on the quest and also tell Thorin, I saw Erebor and even if not in its whole glory, it was glorious and I know he and Fili will be great kings,” she struggles with words and Bilbo doesn’t know how he can tell her that her family is dead._

_“Nerida… Thorin, Fili and Kili died in battle – they hoped you would live,” he could say nothing else besides that. Nerida’s eyes focus in shock before tears start to form – her body shaking with tears. Blood is everywhere and Bilbo knows he will be covered in it but his only focus is the girl dying in his arms._

_“I… I have failed them… I should have been with them….,” Nerida repeats this over and over again, no matter how many times Bilbo tells her that it is not her fault and that she could have done nothing._

_It takes longer than anyone though she would live for her to pass on – by then the rest of the Company finds them as well as the elf prince, Legolas who was trying to find Beriaden. Legolas expresses his condolences before him and Beriaden leave, for what no one knows._

_Nerida dies in the arms of Bilbo and surrounded by her family before being buried with Thorin, Fili and Kili._

Even many years after the Battle of the Five Armies and the death of the Durin line – he is surprisingly invited to name his now youngest first cousin (she would later call him Uncle because that is less confusing for her but let’s not get into that) and he is so surprised that he can name her anything – even if it doesn’t begin with a “P” like their other children.

He holds the babe in his arms and looks down at the tiny form – she is fairly pale, with tuffs of ginger-blond hair curling around her face and her eyes when not shut are a brilliant greenish blue – with the slightest bit of purple. It reminds him of another girl he once knew with purple eyes and could shoot throwing knives out of a bow.

“Nerida…” he softly coos, brushing his fingers along her face. He snaps out of it and shakes his head.

“Nerida should be her middle name and Paisley should be her first. Coraline Nerida Took,” He decides. Yes, that is Nerida Durin’s name with the girls favorite flower as the first name but who's counting?.

“ ** _Hello there, Paisley_** ,” he swears he heard Nerida’s voice with the tint of a laugh but knows it is just his imagination. At least he thinks it is.

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah I put my other OC Coraline in there and I am debating on doing a similar thing but with Coraline, who knows. Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
